Break Me Off a Piece

Californians are used to the subtle shiftings that indicate another earthquake as the earth is always moving one way or another. Yesterday, I felt 3 earthquakes that originated about 20 miles away, little 3.5 or so temblors that are common in my corner of the country.

These are the BANG quakes, the ones that have a sudden loud noise, a jolt, and then are done. Imagine that an 18-wheeler hits the side of the house and you have an approximation of the feeling and the noise. It only lasts a second or two, and seldom has a lot of shaking associated with it. It's as if someone were snapping off a piece of a Kit Kat bar.

In NoCal, there was a 6.5 the other day just off the coast, which is pretty strong and felt far and wide. Last week, there was a cluster of strong quakes south of us, just over the border with Mexico. Our little bangers are localized, but often indicate that there will be a bigger quake coming ... soon. Soon in geological time, however, can be a decade from now, so there's little need to get all worked up about the Big One. When it comes, it comes.

As a native SoCal dweller, I am somewhat complacent about quakes because there is no foretelling, no warning, no safe place to hide, and pretty much nothing anyone can do except deal with the aftermath. I always keep bottled water and hope on hand, my emergency kit for when, because there is no "if."

UPDATE: I doubt that I was prescient in predicting what happened in Haiti late yesterday! Earthquakes happen, especially in communities that are built on a faultline, such as mine and Port Au Prince. The damage and the loss of life are overwhelming in Haiti and it may be months before anyone knows the full extent of the earthquake damage to the country and its people. Meanwhile, we all need to send what we can to help with rescue, recovery, and rebuilding.